tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47261858130679006842024-01-09T06:47:09.319-03:30{Every Day}random pieces of my everydayColleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.comBlogger307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-4204773514451330912012-05-31T07:00:00.000-02:302012-05-31T07:00:01.246-02:30HP's First Haircut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Taking a break from the Project Life fun to share a simple layout with you. I made this back in early may at the Paperie retreat as well. I really wanted to capture Hudson's first haircut in his scrapbook album and how he was such a littel superstar through the whole thing. I think it helped he was only 8 months old at the time, so perhaps a little too young to be frightened of it all. He sat pleasantly through the whole thing and looked extra cute after it was all done: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xt-eBSmE-uM/T8JI4c5lCKI/AAAAAAAAB0w/MArbsHlyVRM/s1600/IMG_8996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xt-eBSmE-uM/T8JI4c5lCKI/AAAAAAAAB0w/MArbsHlyVRM/s400/IMG_8996.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In making this one, I chose a bold patterened paper background and then layered with a bold dot print, punched iwth the notebook edger punch. A strip of washi tape over that and a tabbed journaling car was put on top. I decided to mat the pics in white to help them pop off the page, and used light grey letter stickers by Amy Tangerine for the title. </div>
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I embellished them empty space next to the journalling with a cluster of stars - a mix of felt, glitter, and metal - to reflect the journalling about him being a superstar:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-06oExjEzND4/T8JI6tPDdwI/AAAAAAAAB04/C9fvvh5Ru7E/s1600/IMG_8997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-06oExjEzND4/T8JI6tPDdwI/AAAAAAAAB04/C9fvvh5Ru7E/s400/IMG_8997.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also added a glitter star, a strip of the punched dot paper, and a strip of washi tape in a cluster at the top. This picked up the look of the page and gave me a place to note Hudson's age.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LE_4_lT_VAM/T8JI8u0CdiI/AAAAAAAAB1A/Zi2Mqbz5gFU/s1600/IMG_8998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LE_4_lT_VAM/T8JI8u0CdiI/AAAAAAAAB1A/Zi2Mqbz5gFU/s400/IMG_8998.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I really like the way this one turned out. Now I should probably do his second haircut, which came before he was a year old. Yep, the kid had two haircuts before he had any teeth and before he turned one. Crazy I know! We're already gearing up for haircut number 3 .. which you can see is long overdue (pun intended!):<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DHZa9mUolR8/T8JLVNtjMPI/AAAAAAAAB1M/hvMj_v-sLb0/s1600/IMG_9039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DHZa9mUolR8/T8JLVNtjMPI/AAAAAAAAB1M/hvMj_v-sLb0/s400/IMG_9039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-91575430540921708852012-05-30T07:00:00.001-02:302012-05-30T07:00:02.017-02:30Project Life Week 19<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While week 18 still looks like a work-in-progress, with some pics printed and placeholding:</div>
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<br />I'll move right along a share week 19, which was Mother's Day week and my little nephew's fourth birthday party. Those two events combined meant we spent much of that weekend around the bay. Here's the two-week spread, without the insert shown:</div>
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<br />And here it is showing the insert from Mother's Day ... more on that in a bit. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaZcvnp4KhE/T8JCXqLGACI/AAAAAAAABzU/szgpJojqR1I/s1600/IMG_8985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaZcvnp4KhE/T8JCXqLGACI/AAAAAAAABzU/szgpJojqR1I/s640/IMG_8985.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Here's a closer look at the left side of the page showing some nice spring weather, our little funny face, and a lunch date for D and me:</div>
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A closer look at the left corner. The picture of HP with the wine bottle is priceless. He hauled it out of the recycling box in the kitchen and came barrelling around the corner with it in hand, smiling and laughing, all proud of himself. Of course we took it and put it away so avoid any attempt to chew on the bottle or break it :) Then there was an impromptu lunch date that week for Des and me. We enjoyed conversation and delicious food, sans babe. Nice for a change. </div>
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<br />Now for a closer look at the right side of the spread, which focuses on Logan's birthday party celebrations. There are pics from lunch, from Des playing his new game and then Des and Jason (Logan's dad) playing the game after Logan tired of it ... boys will be boys I guess! And my favourite story/pic from the day, Logan blowing out his candles before the end of the happy birthday song. Upon realizing it, he threw his hands up and declared that we had to do it again. Which we did ... his birthday party afterall!<br />
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I also ended up with an insert this week just because there were too many fun photos and happenings to pare it down. I used the insert to cover the Mother's Day events, which was perfect. Here are the front side (left) and back (right) of that insert. I used one of the page protectors just cut in half:<br />
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On the front, I made a title card, included a pic of me and my boy and the story of him still calling me "bob" instead of mom, and then a pic of Hudson, me, my mom, and my nan. On the back was a pic of Mom getting her Mother's Day gift from us, some snuggles from HP, and I added in the tag from my running jacket present from HP and D. I also added in the card from Des and Hudson, just punched holes in it and stuck it in:<br />
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Thanks for looking ... hopefully weeks 18, 20, & 21 will be ready soon :)Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-42775070118854661622012-05-29T07:00:00.000-02:302012-05-29T07:00:02.606-02:30Project Life weeks 16 & 17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While I work on getting the more recent weeks of Project Life (weeks 18, 20 and 21) up to date, I'll continue to get you up to date on past weeks sharing Weeks 16 and 17 with you now. </div>
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Week 16 was a full, busy week. I started back to work. Hudson P started in daycare full-time. We enjoyed dinner with friends and some awesome April weather, meaning playtime in the park. Here's a look at the two-week spread:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4-Hj9pd45mE/T8Dh06GIHBI/AAAAAAAABvA/hH3OPLFhRtQ/s1600/IMG_8971+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4-Hj9pd45mE/T8Dh06GIHBI/AAAAAAAABvA/hH3OPLFhRtQ/s640/IMG_8971+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In laying out the week, I decided to group pictures. I used the right-side for my return to work and HP's start in daycare, grouping my work pictures, the details on a journaling card, and a card that I received from my VP on my first day together. I then grouped HP's story and a picture sent to me from his day in the park that first week on the bottom corner. Here's a closer look at that:<br />
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On the right side of the spread, I grouped pics and a story from our dinner out down the left half, and then pics and a story from our afternoon at the playground down the right half: <br />
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Here's a closer look at the night out ... where you can see Hudson's little buddy getting ready to pull on his hair. And instead of Hudson's daddy putting a stop to it, he encouraged it. All in good fun until someone starts to cry right?!<br />
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And here's a closer look at the grouping of stuff from my return to work. A quick pic of my desk, my first day back outfit (reminds me of being back at school!), a little note, and the card that was waiting on my desk for me that first morning. I just stuck the card in the slot for now, but I do have plans to go back and properly mount it on a background, and maybe to cut a slit across the top so the card can be flipped open and read without taking it out. We'll see :)<br />
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Moving right along to ...</div>
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We spent more time around the house this week, just relaxing into our new two-working-parents routine. Here's the two page spread:</div>
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I liked how the photos pulled together for a green/blue/yellow colour theme. Worked nicely with the Project Life kit and the extra supplies I had on hand. And yes that's a toilet seat around my child's neck:<br />
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Hudson is a bit of a Bam-Bam. And this week we had to replace the toilet seat from the half bath downstairs as he had pushed it so hard he cleared snapped it right off. We also had to install the gate on the stairs as Hudson had also figured out how to slide the uninstalled gate over through the spindles and make his way up all on his own. Fun times!<br />
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On the left-side, we see plenty of morning snuggles and other morning routines, from picking through the cupboards, to pulling on PJ pants until being picked up, to running around mid-dress!<br />
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Here's a closer look at a 4x6 slot where I used a couple of smaller pictures of family visiting HP on a Sunday afternoon. I wanted to get more pics in this week, so resizing them made that easy-peasy:<br />
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I also love the look of the washi tape layer on over empty space on a photo, leaving me room to stamp and play a bit: <br />
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And finally, there's this pic from the week, perhaps one of my favourites. Our little post-bath froggy, having a fun time before bed. xoxo HP.<br />
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<br />Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-84164006698461757142012-05-28T07:00:00.000-02:302012-05-28T07:00:03.502-02:30Runday Monday: Rest & Recovery<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With my half marathon completed under time, I spent the rest
of last Sunday and Monday celebrating my accomplishment. I was relieved to have
it done and ready to rest up. On Monday, I happily designated the next few days
for R&R – rest and recovery. After a visit to the physiotherapist, those
few days turned into a whole R&R week, which was a-ok by me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the last six to eight weeks of training, I was feeling my
right hip quite a bit. Not so much during the run, but certainly afterwards.
Especially when going from sitting to standing and when taking those first few steps. I knew it was running related issue, but put off physio
until after the race. It wasn't extremely painful, it wasn’t slowing me down, and I was
in no way ready to slow on training that close to race day. I did make an
appointment though for the week right after the race. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the first few days of the week, without any running on my
agenda, the ache had subsided, confirming my suspicion of a running injury. At
physio, we determined it was a typical running injury related to a tight IT
band (the muscle/tendon that runs from your hip to your knee). Fortunately, I caught the issue early enough (though perhaps heading in before the race would
have been even better!) that a few stretches and some foam rolling to release
tension and loosen everything up should take
care of it in no time. My physiotherapist suggested really taking it
easy, focusing on stretching and foam rolling, and very easy runs for the rest of
the week, easing back into more regular running next week. No prob said I!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I actually decided to skip the easy runs altogether and spent the week kicked back. There was no lunchtime
running, instead lunch dates with friends and taking care of a few outstanding
errands. There was no post-work run crammed in before supper, instead I cooked
leisurely or enjoyed a BBQ, cleaning up as I went, freeing up post-supper time to play with the
boy. </span></div>
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The extra time even meant a nice glass of wine on a warm sunny evening after the boy went to bed: </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was no weekend long run either. Instead, I indulged in a celebratory supper with friends (an amazingly delicious dinner with amazingly delicious wine!), time with my family, some extra zzz’s, and plenty of time-wasting on the internet via Pinterest, Facebook, and my google reader. It was awesome all around. Exactly what the </span><strike style="font-family: Calibri;">doctor</strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> physiotherapist ordered.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of five delicious course ... c'mon a salad with fried cheese on top,<br />seriously?! Is that not the most perfect dish during a week of R&R?!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That said, as much as I enjoyed the week of R&R and can
feel the improvements in my hip already, I’m missing that running schedule.
Now, I didn’t say I’ve come to like running, but I do feel the lack of activity
in my muscles, my bones, and my brain. Starting today that changes again. I’ll
begin to ease back in with a few short, slow runs (likely inside thanks to the
damp chilly forecast) and see how it goes. I’m hoping to be back to a longer
run on the weekend and settling into a new running schedule that works by next week.</span></div>
As tired as I was from running and training before the race, <span style="font-family: Calibri;">I guess sometimes a little R&R is all you need to get
the mojo back again. </span>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-75632774688365871412012-05-25T07:30:00.000-02:302012-05-25T07:30:07.639-02:30Good Day for Ridin'The sun is out today and any Friday the sun's shining is a good day in my books. And if you're a motorcycle enthusiast, like Hudson's Uncle T, it's also a good day for ridin'. <br />
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This is a layout I did earlier this month at the <a href="http://thepaperie.wordpress.ca/" target="_blank">Paperie </a>retreat, showing Hudson sitting atop the (parked) motorcycle with his Uncle. We were lucky to spend quite a bit of time with Uncle T while I was off on mat leave and it shows. The smile on little man's face is always quick to appear when Uncle T is around. He's also one of the few people Hudson is happy to go to when he's just waking from a nap and one of the few he'll reach for in a crowd, other than mom and dad. This pic, taken when Hudson was about six months, is a favourite of the two of them.<br />
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The paper, with it's motorcycle image printed on the corner, was perfect for the page. I then blitzed it up a bit by layering a star mask on and spritzing with some Mister Huey's ink. <br />
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<br />I also can't resist a bit of paper/embellishment layering. Off setting the photo I add a brown "cool" bingo card from the same paper line as the background sheet, which was placed on top of a misted manila tag. On there I added a few star chipboard pieces, some twine, and a phrase sticker.All that was placed on top of more squares and banners of patterned paper and some washi tape. The final bit in this cluster was that leather tag. It was just something kicking around my mixed button stash. I was holding onto it for some unknown reason and good thing! It was the perfect rugged touch for the layers.<br />
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After I added a few journaling strips and the date, I still felt like it needed a little something. Poking around my supplies, I found a couple of fun metal buttons that fit perfecting in the motorcycle wheels, playing up that design element. Altogether, I was happy with the end result.<br />
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Yes, the sun is shining. It's a good day for ridin' indeed. Happy Friday everyone!</div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-89599891705820233692012-05-24T07:30:00.000-02:302012-05-24T07:30:09.180-02:30Project Life Weeks 14 & 15Happy almost-Friday-a-short-week! I'm back today with another couple of weeks from my Project Life album - Weeks 14 & 15. Let's kick it off with Week 14, also known as Hudson's actual birthday week and Easter week. We celebrated Hudson's birthday at home with his monthly photo shoot, a visit to Grandma's, and cupcakes. For Easter, we headed around the bay first to my mother's and then to Des' home in Southern Bay. We were back home Saturday night to spend Easter Sunday as a family of three. Busy, chaotic week, but fun too!<br />
<br />Here's the two-week spread: <br />
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<br />And a closer look at the left side. Lot's of spring colours woven through this one with washi tape, letter stickers, journaling stickers, and word stickers:<br />
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<br />And a closer look at the right side with more of those lovely spring-y colours:<br />
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<br />And a few close-ups for you. The colours this week got pulled from the lovely crocus springing up in the yard and the beautiful sunsets that graced the skies. I used a small shot of the budding blooms on a 3x4 slot, added some fringe grass and word stickers to round it out. The title card pick up on the lovely shades of yellow, orange, blue, and greens with some washi tape strips and letter stickers: <br />
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I also added a fold-out journaling card in one of the 3x4 pockets. shown with the 'chaotic easter' title. I embellished the front similarly to the crocus insert, with fringed grass and letter stickers, adding an arrow to indicate there's more inside. When you pull it out, there's a bit more detail about the craziness of our weekend going from one place to another with a child who wouldn't sleep! The photo next to it shows Hudson enjoying his fourth/last first birthday celebration with Aunt ML. <br />
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<br />And moving right along to week 15, which was a quieter week spent around the house and with our family. The colours, the red, blue, and white were pulled from the photos, which all seemed to have some variation on those shades in them. Love it when it works that way. Here's the two-week spread at a glance:<br />
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<br />And a closer look at the left side. I added some banner flags to the title card with some washi tape (yes, I may be a little obsessed with the washi!). I filled out a couple of 3x4s by spreading the journaling across two cards with a larger title, created by using a chipboard mask and some spray ink, all finished off with some more ... washi tape! <br />
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<br />I love the pics and words this week. Love that we're close, both in relationships and proximity, to our families and that they get to enjoy time with HP. <br />
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And a close-up of the right side focuses more on the quiet time at home:<br />
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<br />We enjoyed exploring flowers and snails (yum!) in the garden. We revved engines and drove little boy cars in the yard. And a first visit to Aunt Sandy's to get used to the new place before starting there full time in a few weeks. <br />
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A few close-ups:<br />
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The bottom corner shows HP with his older cousins, while the top one shows him having fun with Uncle T.<br />
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<br />There was even a bouquet of flowers for mommy - my very first!<br />
<br />That's it - April 02 thorugh April 15, 2012. Fun times!Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-17766191372635537222012-05-21T07:00:00.000-02:302012-05-21T07:00:01.779-02:30Runday Monday: Race Day Recap<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hudson checking out the quality of the finishing medal!</td></tr>
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The day started bright and early. I set an alarm for the first time in I can't remember how long. I couldn't rely on my human alarm (aka HP) on such an important day. Good thing too, he didn't rise until almost 7am. I fueled up with good old fashioned, oats, banana and PB, along with a very large glass of water. It was going to be a hot one, so I wanted to be good and hydrated before heading out. After breakfast, I donned my race gear, grabbed some gu, filled up the water bottle, and laced up the sneaks. Last but not least, I carefully pinned that lovely blue bib - number 2639 - to the front of my shirt. T'was Race Day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gearing to go ... 10km for Brooke, 21.1km for me!</td></tr>
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After finding a place to park, daddy and boyso headed off in search of some coffee and snacks, while me and my bestie headed off to the start line. Well, first the port-a-potty line, but whatevs. After a long wait at the potty row (cut short by me bumping my way to head of a bunch of 10kers, who had a more time before the start than I), I bobbed and weaved my way through the throngs of racers making my way toward the front. I spied a few pace bunnies and decided to settle myself around the 2:10 pace bunny. I figured if I could keep him somewhere in my sights, I'd be sure to finished ahead of my 2:15 time goal. With a bit of an early morning breeze goosebumps sprouted on my arms, yet I listened to the announcer say this was the best day they've had in years for the race as he reminded us all to take advantage of the water stations.<br />
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I got my watch ready to go. I popped my headphones in, ready to hit play on the music. I waited for it. The gunshot that marked our start. And there it was. We were off. It took a minute or so before I actually crossed the start mat and we started out like a herd of sheep. Thousands of us, trotting together along the race course, watching those watching us. It was awesome sauce. Then reality strikes. I'm in this. I've got 21km left to go. I'm running a half marathon. A little of the excitement and anxiety combination, otherwise known as adrenalin, kicked in. There was no turning back now. So onward I went.<br />
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It took me a while to get my rhythm. I was just past the 5km mark before I really felt like I had my feet under me. It was around that point that I realized that I didn't need to know the route, I wasn't going to get lost. It was then I realized that I was pretty much around the middle of the pack, and that was perfect. It was then I first looked at my watch to discover I was running well above my pace time. So, it was then that I looked up at the blue sky and leafy green tree tops blowing ever so lightly and realized, "I got this".<br />
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Around then I started thinking a little and pulled on the well wishes and pieces of advice so many of you offered me leading up to the race. I distinctly remember one post on my facebook page telling me to trust my training and another reminding to, most importantly, have fun. I really replayed some of those thoughts, along with a few of my own mantras, over the course of the race. I also pulled on another phrase I saw on a t-shirt at the race expo when we were in picking up our kits - "it's just a hill, get over it". Believe it or not, it made a few of those inclines completely doable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picking up race kits and activating race chips!</td></tr>
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I also loved the people along the route holding up encouraging and entertaining signs.That support on the route makes a huge difference! I sorta wish I had a camera to take a few snaps. A few of my favourites included:<br />
<ul>
<li>Where's everyone going?</li>
<li>Go complete stranger!</li>
<li>Where's the fire?</li>
<li>Worst parade ever.</li>
<li>Run, people are watching. </li>
<li>Pain is temporary, pride is forever. </li>
</ul>
I plugged on and before I knew it there was a 9km marker. I was still chugging along well ahead of schedule and I ran the math, realizing that if I could keep the pace for rest of the race, I might actually get a finish time in the range of 2hrs to 2:03hrs. It was inspiring to see I was kicking some race butt. I kept on with the plan of attack for another 3-4km, running along and walking through water stations. The heat was creeping up so skipping hydration wasn't an option. Unfortunately for me, once we entered into Point Pleasant Park, I began to see the race pace drop a little. It was hot, hot, hot, in there and there were a number of smaller inclines followed by a very steep incline right near the exit of the park. I lost quite a bit of time in the park - as did many runners I think. But I was still going and still feeling pretty good, so I kept on keeping on.<br />
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Coming out of the park left us with just about 4-5km of race left. In my mind I thought that's when I'll be motivated to pick it up a little, but the temps just had me working to convince myself to keep going, never mind go faster. But I looked around I saw a guy walking and limping ahead of me, and I thought, hey at least I'm not limping. That kept me going for a bit. Then around the 18km mark, the race course doubles back for a bit, so on the opposite side of the road (across a median) I could see half marathon runners heading into the park. And I thought, hey at least I'm done that much already and I'm ahead of the game. And that kept me going for another bit. Then in the last 2km, the home stretch of the race, I saw no less than five people splayed out on the ground, on stretchers, hooked up to IV bags. And again I though, hey at least I'm not passed out on the ground. And I kept on trucking.<br />
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Before I knew it I was rounding the turn and could see the finish line in sight. I wasn't able to keep up my early race pace, but was now realizing I hadn't seen the 2:10 pace bunny since the start either, meaning I was well under my inside race goal of 2:15. I crossed the finish mat and dared to look at my watch to see 2:08:38. I saw my husband waiting at the finish line with a huge smile and I knew I rocked it. I was so pleased with that result, especially given the weather. I'm happy about it for sure. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">across the finish line, water in hand, making my way to the refreshments inside</td></tr>
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After almost five months of training, I am also happy to say it's done. And I couldn't have done without so many of you. The comments, words of advice, support, encouragement all made a difference, all through training and on race day. I am also extremely grateful for the two Jennifers, who made long runs more tolerable and even enjoyable. I know their company got me out the door and got me to finish those long runs each and every time. And of course to my family, most especially my handsome husband, who sacrificed joint sociables on Saturday nights, coffee in PJs on Sunday mornings, and spent hours looking out for the little man on the weekends so I could get my run on. I love him.<br />
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And without making this post any longer (it already feels like a half marathon!) - thanks to all for making my race day awesome. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CMu0VD3QcXw/T7mbJd22vXI/AAAAAAAABsE/4pjVEpy3qj0/s1600/IMG_9083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CMu0VD3QcXw/T7mbJd22vXI/AAAAAAAABsE/4pjVEpy3qj0/s400/IMG_9083.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">done like dinner!</td></tr>
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<br />Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-55596825479297069182012-05-17T07:30:00.001-02:302012-05-17T21:25:16.240-02:30Right Now...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Right Now …</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m going</i> to the airport to catch a flight to Halifax for the Bluenose Half Marathon 2012. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m feeling</i> both excited and nervous that race day, after almost five months, is finally really, really close. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m wondering</i> how flying with little man is going to be this time around, now that he’s mobile. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-axzsMfc4H8I/T7WOcfZUoPI/AAAAAAAABrg/8wAwSscg5j0/s1600/Halifax+September+2011+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-axzsMfc4H8I/T7WOcfZUoPI/AAAAAAAABrg/8wAwSscg5j0/s400/Halifax+September+2011+023.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">somehow I doubt HP will sleep the whole flight this time around!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m eating</i> oatmeal with brown sugar, banana and nuts, like almost every other weekday morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m drinking</i> a strong cup of coffee, like almost every other morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m anticipating</i> a lovely long weekend complete with sunshine, family, and friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m looking</i> forward to enjoying the company of good friends we don’t see often enough over dinner and drinks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">…I planning</i> on meeting my race day goals and celebrating the accomplishment over dinner and drinks!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fo2S4iQvVKA/T7WPLI4wQdI/AAAAAAAABro/jNhlmdeKWqA/s1600/IMG_6903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fo2S4iQvVKA/T7WPLI4wQdI/AAAAAAAABro/jNhlmdeKWqA/s400/IMG_6903.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">run baby run!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m hoping</i> my body, the weather, and the race course culminate in an awesome 21.1km run. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m thinking</i> how lucky I am to be able to run, to travel, to live a happy life. Life is good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Happy long weekend everyone!</span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-50619870254288383462012-05-17T07:30:00.000-02:302012-05-17T07:30:07.771-02:30Surviving Back to Work<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Tomorrow marks the end of my fifth week back at work. I’ve been back to work five weeks. FIVE WEEKS! As fast as that year off passed, I’m pretty certain the past month plus passed faster. I feels like just yesterday was April 16 and I was putting on my “sitting shoes” (you ladies know what I’m talking about, the pretty, high heeled shoes you wear only for sitting, because walking anywhere further than a photo copier or water cooler would be stupid and painful and stupid… )</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practical? No. Pretty? Most definitely!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">But I digress... it feels just yesterday that I was putting those shoes on for the first time in about a year and heading out the door into a brand new world, the world of the working mom. It feels like I blinked and I was back at it more than a month. Here’s how I survived. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I mentally prepared myself. </i><a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2012/04/t-3.html" target="_blank">I told everyone I was ready</a>, looking forward to going back. And I was, it just helped to be saying that out loud over and over every time someone asked. You say it and it becomes true. Even when there’s a shadow of a doubt, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am fortunate to like what I do for a living, to like where I work, and to be surrounded by colleagues who are of the same mind, generally speaking. I also like to think about things other than diapers and bibs, to challenge my mind. While I loved being off, I was looking forward to the change. And just saying it out loud to family and friends reinforced that for me so that when a moment of doubt came creeping in, I was able to kick it back out and say it to myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I found awesome care arrangements.</i> I realize many people struggle with care arrangements, so I count my blessings that <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2011/04/happy-birthday.html" target="_blank">my best friend</a> was able to take Hudson P for us. Having him in a home where I am confident he is picked up when crying, fed when hungry, changed when wet, cuddled when sleepy, and just loved all day made that transition back to work significantly easier on my heart and my mind. I urge every momma out there to try to do the same. Look early, plan accordingly. I know actual daycare places are hard to come by, particularly for babies under two, and that they generally cost an arm and a leg. I also know it would be hard to leave HP with a stranger in their home. But taking the time to find that place, that environment, that person that makes your heart simply feel right is key. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I planned the transition.</i> As a general rule, I like to feel like I’ve got a handle on things, which naturally makes me a planner. Heading back to work was no different. I planned Hudson’s transition into care. He and I went by for a couple of play dates/visits in the weeks leading up to my return date. I also made sure to plan a solo visit for him, where I could stay for a bit and then leave (with an appointment at the hair salon, so I wasn’t tempted to go back early!). That helped me feel confident he knew the environment where he’d be spending his days. I also planned meals. I stocked the freezer with some soups, chili, and casseroles in lunch and supper sized portions, along with muffins for breakfasts, and sweets for evening treats. Knowing that meals were taken care of after long days or during morning rushes was key those first couple of weeks. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Icy9mrsLqxY/T7RJrF0OFPI/AAAAAAAABqk/lCpaD8IV8u4/s1600/IMG_6977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Icy9mrsLqxY/T7RJrF0OFPI/AAAAAAAABqk/lCpaD8IV8u4/s400/IMG_6977.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crawling around at Aunt Sandy's - enjoying the new toys!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I went with flow.</i> Not my forte (at least in my personal life!) let me tell ya, but I decided to go with it. If I've been running late for work, I took a deep breath and just worked through lunch or late on the other end to make up for it. If the furniture was dusty, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes (to wit, I dusted on Wednesday for the first time in five weeks, I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true). If that laundry didn’t get done til the weekend, I took a deep breath and remembered we all have more than enough clothes to wear. As a result, I have a growing pile of wrinkly clean clothes on the ironing board, fingerprints all over the front of the flat screen and fridge, and a happy me. I focus on making sure everything looks tidy and that the floor is swept, and I’m all good. Seriously, just go with the flow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">And, before I knew it, five weeks have come and gone and we’re no worse for the wear. There were no tears on the first day back, for me or HP. Hudson has adjusted well to his new situation, loves seeing his little buddies in the morning and his ‘rents in the evening. We’ve not starved to death. We’re all in clean clothes (even if a little wrinkly). I’ve managed to keep up with race training and groceries, but maybe not all the housekeeping. And it’s all ok. We’re just getting into a new rhythm at the Ryan household. Some days it’s more of a dance than we’ve been used to, but it’s a rhythm we can groove to for the long haul. </span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-79722010900655220522012-05-16T07:30:00.000-02:302012-05-16T07:30:00.762-02:30Project Life - Weeks 12 & 13Back at ya today with some more Project Life recaps, starting with Week 12's double page spread:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDnXfFzq4vg/T7GQltAifLI/AAAAAAAABo0/vfz6nU4capo/s1600/IMG_8948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDnXfFzq4vg/T7GQltAifLI/AAAAAAAABo0/vfz6nU4capo/s400/IMG_8948.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Week 12 was a slower week on pictures, so there were a few more journaling cards and a couple of filler cards to round out the week. Here's a closer look at the left-side:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy-tTpRc9VE/T7GVdA3GZZI/AAAAAAAABp4/v8QVlV5QZpc/s1600/IMG_8958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy-tTpRc9VE/T7GVdA3GZZI/AAAAAAAABp4/v8QVlV5QZpc/s400/IMG_8958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />That picture on the top was a follow-up to the story I captured in Week 11 about HP starting to walk. I finally managed a decent snap of him where he clearly appears in motion, without too much blur.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4E8mdNJpzNs/T7GP-4P-hRI/AAAAAAAABns/lbLgUvS0V_Y/s1600/IMG_8950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4E8mdNJpzNs/T7GP-4P-hRI/AAAAAAAABns/lbLgUvS0V_Y/s400/IMG_8950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /> The bottom right corner of the page includes a note my mom left for us:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utZMj3dmvpQ/T7GP8Rl3FVI/AAAAAAAABnk/HUvliRt8kDk/s1600/IMG_8949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utZMj3dmvpQ/T7GP8Rl3FVI/AAAAAAAABnk/HUvliRt8kDk/s400/IMG_8949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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She babysat for us on Saturday night and stayed overnight, which meant she also got up early on Snday morning - an added bonus of Nanny Pat. Des and I enjoyed a little extra snoozing and mom put Hudson down for his morning nap and headed for home while we were still asleep. Nice right? She left us a note detailing his various and sundry activities from the morning - love it! </div>
And here`s a closer look at the right side of the spread - love the picture of Hudson on the top left, eating pizza, looking like the Godfather! Forgettaboutit ...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0OBKfu7MnE/T7GWJojU15I/AAAAAAAABqI/gbOpX7amDII/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="383" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0OBKfu7MnE/T7GWJojU15I/AAAAAAAABqI/gbOpX7amDII/s400/IMG_8959.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />On the right-side of week 12, I also included this instagram photo that my wonderful hubby took for me. He was hanging in the shed with some guys, smoking a cigar. I love that he captured this for me to include. Makes me thankful for him. Hence the filler card with word stickers, punched hearts, etc next to it:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnB_fjTc9lk/T7GQAhv90pI/AAAAAAAABn0/hir65w9Mr8g/s1600/IMG_8951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnB_fjTc9lk/T7GQAhv90pI/AAAAAAAABn0/hir65w9Mr8g/s400/IMG_8951.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div>
<br />Above that is a pic of me and HP, cuddling on the couch. Melts my heart he does:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UNoxxFj62s/T7GQCkv47qI/AAAAAAAABn8/HyVyglsPR2s/s1600/IMG_8952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UNoxxFj62s/T7GQCkv47qI/AAAAAAAABn8/HyVyglsPR2s/s400/IMG_8952.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Moving right along to Week 13 - which was also the week of Hudson's big birthday bash. I still have the insert for this to do, so the double page spread captures basically everything else from that week:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fgfL6ScrI20/T7GQEiofXBI/AAAAAAAABoE/dq_8q4h_DdY/s1600/IMG_8953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fgfL6ScrI20/T7GQEiofXBI/AAAAAAAABoE/dq_8q4h_DdY/s400/IMG_8953.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />The week took in party preparations, outdoor time with the boy, a visit to Aunt Sandy`s to get Hudson accustomed before mama headed back to work, and a movie for mom and dad. Here`s a look at the left side of the spread:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGj06OEHUZA/T7GUm0Rfx4I/AAAAAAAABpI/YDkg0BehniA/s1600/IMG_8956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGj06OEHUZA/T7GUm0Rfx4I/AAAAAAAABpI/YDkg0BehniA/s400/IMG_8956.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />I stuck with a white, grey, red and black colour scheme as those were HPs birthday party colours, so the whole spread should look nice together. And of course those colours just happened to work nicely with the rest of the week`s photos too. And here`s the right side of the spread:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWwjAO-ez4/T7GUpT4NxLI/AAAAAAAABpQ/IKkYhfqBvGU/s1600/IMG_8957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWwjAO-ez4/T7GUpT4NxLI/AAAAAAAABpQ/IKkYhfqBvGU/s400/IMG_8957.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />And a couple of close-ups for you - the week`s intro card with some washi tape and letter stickers.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XvKhc2OHGc/T7GQG9pviUI/AAAAAAAABoM/KmavIHFuSC8/s1600/IMG_8954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XvKhc2OHGc/T7GQG9pviUI/AAAAAAAABoM/KmavIHFuSC8/s400/IMG_8954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />And the movie tickets from the Hunger Games. I really do love including the little bits of stuff from our everyday life.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hi_GYGELgms/T7GQoNtDhtI/AAAAAAAABo8/VGVDSXAZoJo/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hi_GYGELgms/T7GQoNtDhtI/AAAAAAAABo8/VGVDSXAZoJo/s400/IMG_8955.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There you have it, we are now officially into April in Project Life sharing. Hope to have another couple for you this week, if the schedule allows. And of course, you will get to see the birthday insert when it gets done :)<br />
<br />Have a nice Wednesday!<br />
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<br /></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-21242961781476291762012-05-15T08:52:00.002-02:302012-05-15T08:52:21.298-02:30Let the Crafty Creation Catch-up Begin!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I’ve been completely tardy with sharing my crafty creations from the <a href="http://thepaperie.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Paperie’</a>s weekend retreat. Mostly because I’ve not had opportunity to take some snaps of said creations while the light was decent (hello morning rushes and evening playtimes!). I finally got around to it yesterday after work and have a ton to share with you. I’ll spread it out over a few days so this post isn’t five hundred miles long!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">We’ll start with some Project Life catch-up. The <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2012/03/project-life-week-10.html" target="_blank">last time I shared</a> a Project Life spread with y’all was waaaay back in March...March 23rd to be exact! Yes, I realize that’s almost two months, but you see I got “behind” in my album. I’d been doing so well up til then, but the last week of March I got sucked into party planning mode, preparing for little man’s multitude of birthday celebrations. Then it was <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2012/04/zoom-zoom-race-car-party.html" target="_blank">partypalooza</a> week. Followed immediately by the week before I went back to work and all the loose ends that entailed. And then it was back to work week. And, well you get it. Before I knew it I was weeks behind! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Fortunately the <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2012/05/to-your-hearts-content_10.html" target="_blank">scrap weekend</a> was on the horizon and I could see a solid chunk of time to focus on getting back up to snuff. I spent pretty much the first two days of the retreat focused on my Project Life album. I had my notes kept, my pictures sorted and sized and it was now a matter of cutting, writing, adorning, and slotting. It took more time than I expected, but by Saturday evening Weeks 11 through 17 were done, along with one extra insert. I even managed to complete Week 19 on Sunday, leaving me now with only Week 18 and one insert for Hudson’s birthday left to do. Phew!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I’ll start off the crafty creation catch-up by sharing Week 11 and the insert from that week - that should be enough to whet your appetite for today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Here’s the double page spread for Week 11, where you can see front side of the insert:</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YEK9EcdD4GA/T7GPotJfbeI/AAAAAAAABmc/U2pmxX6vvvQ/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205px" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YEK9EcdD4GA/T7GPotJfbeI/AAAAAAAABmc/U2pmxX6vvvQ/s400/IMG_8939.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Again, I apologize for the glare, but it was the best I could do without taking everything out of the pockets. And when photographing eight weeks in the 30 minute window I had before the boy got home, taking eight weeks of photos and notes out of pockets wasn`t an option!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">To give you a better look, here are a few close-ups:</span><br />
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This the centre + title card in my insert for the week. I took 12 pictures on March 12, just capturing random snippets from the day. I used a baseball card protector sheet, which held the twelve photos, a few journalling cards about the pics, and a couple of filler cards. If you look up and to the right, you`ll see one of the note card. I used numbered brads which corresponded to number stickers on the photo, which you can see there on the bottom right corner. By each numbered brad I simply jotted down a short sentence about the pick. On each card I added some washi tape and an embellishment or two and called it done. <br />
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This is the back of the same card, with the little filler for the back side of the insert. I love the Ali Edwards stamp, which I borrowed from a friend at the retreat (thanks Rae Lynn!). <br />
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Above is a close-up from the right side of the page. I usually use 4x6 pics in the main slots, but for this one I cropped a close-up of my new sneakers and used the extra space to put a little detail about the half marathon training at that point in time. Above it, in the smaller 3x4 slots, I made some more notes on a journaling card from the PL kit and also stuck the receipt for the sneakers along with a piece from the sneaker box. I liked that piece from the box because it said `we run` which tied in perfectly to the BOGO deal Des and I got on the sneaks!</div>
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Another close-up from the right side of the spread showing the cuteness of my boy. I used some letter stickers and a rub-on for the photo and captured the details on a journaling card. <br />
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In the above close-up from the left-side of the spread, I captured a story without a photo. HP started walking on his own that Sunday afternoon, but I didn`t get a pic of it. I wanted to get the story in there, so I just jotted it down. You also see a note about getting our windsheild repaired - which I wrote on a piece of paper from a notepad the autoglass shop gave us when we picked up our car. I trimmed that down to fit and added a sticker to capture the date. Love using bits of everyday life like this in the album.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Thanks for looking and I’ll be back tomorrow with another couple of weeks. Before you know it, you’ll be all caught up too!</span></div>
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</div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-79849072989712628592012-05-14T07:30:00.000-02:302012-05-14T07:30:03.094-02:30Runday Monday: Time GoalsI'm into tapering off my runs in prep for race day, getting my body ready to tackle the 21.1kms. I'm also thinking about the final moments of the race, of crossing the finish line, getting my mind ready to face the day as well. As I do, I'm thinking about my end goal and how that's shifted since the beginning. <br />
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When I started training back in January, my only goal was to finish. I decided to take on this challenge to help me get back on the running track. I had wavered from it in my final trimester of pregnancy and was struggling to get back into the routine. The start of the new year seemed like the perfect time to reacquaint myself with running and the half marathon seemed like the perfect end goal. At that time, just five months ago, running a regular 5km was rougher than I remembered. My race goal in those early days was simply to finish. <br />
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As I pushed on through training, I got better, faster, stronger. Not a speed demon by any means, but I was steadfast in my training and could see that finishing was becoming a reality. I realized with every long run that I was actually going to be able to do this and likely without too much pain and suffering. I was feeling pretty good about where I was in training and felt like I should set some sort of time goal to work toward. Thinking back to my marathon, I ran (ok ran/walked) that in 5hrs18minutes (I told you I wasn't speedy!). I figured I've come a long way since 2002, so if I cut that in half and shaved 9 minutes off, I'd be looking at a 2.5hr time goal. Half the distance in less than half the time seemed challenging, but realistic. <br />
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As I sit here today, less than a week from the event, I'm looking back on the last few weeks of running and seeing some really decent times on both my shorter and longer runs. I'm feeling confident in my ability to not only complete the race, but possibly even complete in less than the time goal I've set for myself. Soooo... I'm thinking it might be good to set a more challenging goal for myself. Something I'm not sure I can do, but something I can strive for on race day, something to keep my a$$ moving when my body is tired and my mind is telling me to quit. I'm thinking I can strive to shave another 15 minutes off and try to cross the finish line in less than 2:15. Oy!<br />
<br />In my career, setting goals are a key piece of my work. Making sure there's a vision to the end and starting out knowing what it is we want to achieve. I view this race no different. Based on my personal training journey, I'm going in with three goals, tiered in importance:<br />
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1. Just do it, just finish. That's what I started with and why I'm even running in the first place. If nothing else, I'll be pleased to just cross the finish line. <br />
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2. Finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes or less. Not speedy and probably behind the middle of the pack, but realistic for who I am as a runner. Anything under 2.5 hours would be extra satisfying. <br />
<br />3. Finish in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is the ultimate goal, the one I'm not sure I can do, but the one that I'll tuck away to keep me going when the going gets tough. Anything between 2:30 and 2:15 would AWESOME, but less than that would be the icing on the race cake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting my new running jacket from D + HP<br />
Happy Mother's Day to me :)</td></tr>
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<br />Now you all know where I stand. I'll let you know how it all shakes out in my next installment of Runday Monday!Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-81713658292828333852012-05-11T11:12:00.003-02:302012-05-11T11:12:55.921-02:30Celebrate Friday, Celebrate Your Momma<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Just a little happy for you on your Friday. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://splitusa.com/blog/2011/03/25/fridays-inspiration/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The sun is shining where I am, I have a massage appointment later today, along with a bottle of tasty red waiting to be cracked open. All in all makes for an awesome Friday in my books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">And it’s Mother’s Day weekend to boot, allowing me to celebrate all the awesome mommas in my life. <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2011/05/mothers-day.html" target="_blank">My momma</a> who raised me right. Her momma who did the same for her. My hubby’s momma who blessed me with a gentleman. <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2011/11/belated-birthday-post.html" target="_blank">My sister</a> who reminds me to be less uptight about it all, taking it all in stride with a beautiful four year old to show for it. <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2011/04/happy-birthday.html" target="_blank">My bestie</a> who’s raising three amazing boys of her own and being the next best thing for my HP during the week. And so many many more strong, smart, amazing women. I’m truly one lucky lady to be surrounded by so many lovely ladies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I hope you take time to honour all the mommas you’ve been blessed with. And of course, enjoy your Friday! </span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-2525900896504024722012-05-10T17:45:00.002-02:302012-05-10T17:45:59.664-02:30To Your Heart's Content<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">It’s only Thursday and I’m already looking forward to the weekend. Ah, the life of being back to work where specific days of the week have more meaning. I’ll be getting my last 10-12km long run out of the way this evening so I can spend the weekend enjoying some R&R. And rest assured I have a few fun things on the agenda. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I’ll start with an overdue massage for my crying muscles, the same ones that have been carrying me through run and after run after run with minimal complaint. Then there’ll be a Friday evening glass of wine, with every sip savoured as after this weekend my body and soul will be on the race hydration plan. There’s a birthday party to honour the most awesome four-year old in the world, my nephew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a BBQ to celebrate Mother’s Day with my lovely family. And then hopefully, oh so very hopefully, some crafting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I spent all of last weekend scrapping to my heart’s content. And through it all I was reminded how content it makes me. So often I let other priorities take over my time, be it housework or a run, instead of scrap. Yes, those other things must be done too, but that’s just it isn’t it. They must be done, whereas scrapbooking and creating does not. So I do them first, instead of the fun stuff. I have to remember that the other stuff, that’ll get done anyway at some point. Sometimes I just must make time to create with glue and paint and tape and paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to make time to do those little things I love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">And I do love it so. I love it from beginning to end. From selecting the photos, the paper, the stuff. To the process of pushing things around a page, layering bits and bobs until it’s just so, writing the words that tell the story. To seeing the end page that slides into the ever growing album of our family. Last weekend inspired me to try to make more time for the hobby that I love – even if it’s just once a month a crop night or a class. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the crafty goodness I created last weekend, some of the goodness that came of this mess:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at my scrapping space at the weekend retreat ...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Until I do, which is after I get some decent light to take a few snaps, I’ll send you to see <a href="http://sarathings.com/" target="_blank">Sara</a> (scroll down to her Monday post to see a pic of me intrigued by her demo at gthe retreat!), <a href="http://confessionsofatwentysomethingartist.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Krista</a>, and <a href="http://cathiereed.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Cathy</a>, all of whom were also at the retreat and have been much more timely in sharing their beautiful creations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I’ll also suggest you think about what makes your heart content and maybe, just maybe, think about skipping the laundry this weekend and doing that instead. I know I will be doing just that. </span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-86805163608144553882012-05-09T20:46:00.001-02:302012-05-09T20:46:22.632-02:30Wants Vs. NeedsI was lucky enough to spend this past weekend with a lovely bunch of ladies at the <a href="http://thepaperie.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Paperie's</a> scrapbooking retreat. I went up Friday morning and scrapped my way through to Sunday afternoon. Of course, amidst all the crafty talent in the room, you get to see everyone's personal style and the stuff they use to get it. Somewhere on Saturday afternoon, it spurred a conversation around wants vs needs (in the realm of scrapbooking, not on some higher philosophical level). It then got me thinking about my current list of wants...er needs ... er wants...er!<br />
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You see, I'm a scrapbooker that doesn't need all the gadgets and widgets and whatnot. Despite what my husband would tell you about my overflowing craft room. I'm OK with just a bunch of the things I usually use, a few extras and making do without a lot of the other stuff ... either saving those projects for when I'm at the Paperie for crop nights and can make use of their tools or borrow from my crafty friends. Take for example <a href="http://www.michaels.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Fringe-Scissors/ms0495,default,pd.html" target="_blank">these fringe scissors</a> by Martha Stewart. Lovely to have, and sure I wouldn't mind having them in my stash, but I don't need them. I can recreate the same look by simply cutting individual snips in paper with my standard scissors. Slower, yes, but just as effective. A want, not a need. <br />
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It's the same thing when I'm running - another "hobby" of sorts. People always say you don't need anything special to run, just a pair of sneakers and some sweats. True story if you're just running a short distance or not on a regular basis or perhaps packing for exercise while on the road. Otherwise there is all sorts of gear you can use to make running more comfortable, more efficient, more effective. Some people can`t live without their <a href="https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=142&pID=63511" target="_blank">Garmin</a>. I however am OK without it, at least for now. Yes, it would be nice to have the distance tracker, the timer, the heart rate monitor, and all the fancy features available to me, but I don`t need it to run. <br />
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However, I have come to discovered a few things I would call a need of late - for running, for scrapping. With Mother`s Day right around the corner, I thought I`d share in case you have a fit or crafty or stylish momma on your list to buy for. And just in case my hubby needed a few hints <em>(hint hint). </em><br />
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Let`s start with scrapbooking. At the retreat this past weekend, one of the ladies at my table had a <a href="http://www.canon.ca/inetCA/products?m=gp&pid=4706" target="_blank">Canon Selphy printer</a> like this: <br />
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She bought just before the retreat so she could print a few pictures on site. As she broke it out the box, she commented how she was about to waste a bunch of time setting it up and figuring it out instead of scrapping. Peshaw! It took her like 15 minutes to get it out, set up and printing her pics. It is small and light weight, making it extremely portable. It resizes pictures, allows you to crop, and just print, right from your jump drive or SD card. No computer needed. Seriously, how awesome is that. And the colour quality was amazing to boot! All for $100, plus ink + 100 sheets of paper at about $50. Can we scream dealio? I can totally see me using this with Project Life, saving time and trips to the store to pick it up. I could take it to crop nights, I could even take it on vacation and scrap a mini-book on the road. It wouldn`t completely replace external printing services, but it would be an awesome complement. Yes. Yes, this is a need indeed. <br />
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Now onto running. I have wanted<a href="http://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?products_id=3060" target="_blank"> a running jacket</a> forever. Back when I was running the marathon, I had to invest in some decent running pants and shirts, new sneakers x 2 pairs, orthotics, and just didn`t make the buy. Over the years, my distance hadn`t been high enough to warrant the cost, I figured for shorter runs I`d make do with a heavier coat or fleece instead. I also tend to stick to fairer weather days when running. However, with the half marathon in a week and a half and the Tely 10 not long after, I`m at the point where I need one of these:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nFxVeE2F_Ek/T6r5JdqfTbI/AAAAAAAABlM/6C26ChwGEyQ/s1600/refSide_300_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nFxVeE2F_Ek/T6r5JdqfTbI/AAAAAAAABlM/6C26ChwGEyQ/s1600/refSide_300_300.jpg" /></a></div>
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The reality is most of my running is now happening after work and on the weekends. The weather is getting warmer and that means I`d like to get outside more. Even if it`s drizzly or a little dusky. These jackets are lightweight, making them a good layering option. They have reflective tape for 360 degree visibility and repel water to keep you dry. They also have pockets now, important for a key or some gu. And in the wide array of colours, there`s an option for everyone. Me, I like the Jewel Blue best ... but Royal Blue, Ocean Blue and Burgundy are also lovely. Oh yes, I definitely need one of these. <br />
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Still on the running front, I could also make great use of one of <a href="http://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?language_id=1&products_id=4204" target="_blank">these</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLSAlUVIcQU/T6r5KWlis_I/AAAAAAAABlU/DQ2JPY-TwQM/s1600/TraqPedometer300_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLSAlUVIcQU/T6r5KWlis_I/AAAAAAAABlU/DQ2JPY-TwQM/s1600/TraqPedometer300_300.jpg" /></a></div>
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Call it the poor man`s Garmin ;) Seriously though, I find I run better and faster if I know how far I`ve been and how far I`ve left to go. Always. So a basic pedometer that tracks my time and distance without all the fancy features is a necessity for race day. <br />
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Last, I love me some <a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/home.jsp" target="_blank">lulu</a>. I try to keep the purchase to a minimum as the lulu loveliness is a tad pricey. But I must admit I`ve always found the quality, fit, and style awesome. I have a few pairs of pants that, afte years and years of use and abuse, including a good chunk of mat leave living in them, I`m due for a new pair. My preferred style... Groove Pant and <a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/top-rated-women/Groove-Crop-32573?cc=0001&sli=1" target="_blank">Groove Crop</a>. Yep, needing a new pair of these:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7AefhCHFHqI/T6r6kLbcMII/AAAAAAAABlk/HChdHbk5EnE/s1600/LW6762S_5619_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7AefhCHFHqI/T6r6kLbcMII/AAAAAAAABlk/HChdHbk5EnE/s320/LW6762S_5619_1.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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There you have it, a few of three of my current needs ... er wants ... er needs. <br />
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<em>What about you, what are you needing these days?</em><br />
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</div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-16564452019008601312012-05-08T20:09:00.000-02:302012-05-08T20:09:54.767-02:30Runday Mon...er, Tuesday: Race Head Space<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In some ways it's hard to believe that race day is less than two weeks away. It seemed so far away when I set the goal earlier in the New Year. Though in other ways, it's not hard to believe at all. </div>
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My body is feeling the reality, feeling the closeness of the day. At this point in the game, I'm tired. I'm tired of lacing up my sneakers and heading out for hour plus runs several days a week. I'm tired of scheduling even longer runs into my weekend. I'm tired of sacrificing a glass of wine in favour of water, the extra sleep on the weekend, the lazy weekend mornings at home. At this point in the game, with several 10km runs still to go, I really need to get my head into race day. I need the motivation of the race in my head space. </div>
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Thankfully the weather cooperated with my plans today. The sun was out by the end of the work day. The temperature a perfect cool 13 degrees. The breeze just right. I laced up my sneakers first thing in the door, before any excuse, before any fatigue could take over. I treated it like I would race morning, up and at 'em, no going back now. </div>
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I decided to grab a few things to take with me, My new handheld running water bottle, some gu, my sunglasses, and my iShuffle. I could have easilly done my run without any of it, well maybe not without the tunes, but without the rest. I didn't even touch the gu, given the run was just 8km. But my thought was it would help feel like race day. And it did. There's something about fuel and hydration that makes it feel more purposeful. </div>
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I also decided to use a pond trail instead of just running from my door. See, running along my street is convenient, but there are fewer runners along the route and lots of traffic. The trail route puts me amongst other runners and eliminates most of the traffic concern. I can focus on the run and see like-minded people out doing the same thing. Even if we weren't going in the same direction, or at the same, or the same difference, somehow it helped. </div>
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Finally, I decided to treat the run like I would race day. Go out the gate with some level of adrenaline pumping (helped by having a good tune on the ipod!). Start strong and plan to keep a good pace. Work hard to finish strong. Visualize the end goal whenever my mind or body wavered. </div>
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The focus, the plan, the effort all came together and I kicked that run's ass. I finished the 8km in 44 minutes, my fastest 8km evah! Usually it would take me 48-50 minutes at 6-6.2 mph pace. Not today. Un-uh. Today, I got my head space into the race and it paid off. </div>
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How about you ... any tricks you use to get your head into the game? </div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-75114831786022325162012-04-27T07:30:00.000-02:302012-04-27T07:30:03.940-02:30Right Now ...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Right now, I am...</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… adjusting </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to the new routine of being back to work. I’ll have post on surviving the transition soon.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All decked out - complete with heels - for the first day back</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… feeling</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> relieved the HPs allergy tests came back negative – dairy is a go! </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… realizing</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> that I have only three more long runs before race day. One of which is this weekend. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… preparing </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">for a crafty weekend away in next weekend. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… making </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">travel plans for a family vacation somewhere warm ... likely in early 2013 before HP turns two. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… reading </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good Night Moon and Time for Bed every single day. And enjoying it. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">... hoping</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> the warm temps last weekend weren’t just a tease and that spring may actually be arriving. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">enjoying some park time + sunshine last weekend</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… dreaming </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of an outlet shopping excursion stateside. Sigh, I wish. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… eating </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">chili freezer awaiting more consistent BBQ weather. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… wondering </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">how I was so blessed with this little family of mine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… <i>hoping</i> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">you have an awesome weekend. Happy Friday!</span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-12397511220427677322012-04-24T07:30:00.000-02:302012-04-24T07:30:06.751-02:30A Card with a Girly Touch<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Another friend and one of my new running partners celebrated her birthday last week. Seems as though this is a popular time of year for birthdays amongst my family and friends! We had the pleasure of dining at their place this weekend, so I of course whipped up a card just for her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I love girly cards, which this one totally is. I started with a script stamped background and layered on paper strips in floral and spring colours, along with a strip of washi tape. That was topped off with a layered flower embellishment and a stamped greeting banner. Altogether it says “girly” to me. And with my little man being the focus of my scrappy adventures these days, I love it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Thanks for looking </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-70969541621853812812012-04-23T07:05:00.000-02:302012-04-23T07:05:33.951-02:30Runday Monday: Fueling the FireWhen I started running a decade ago I wasn't a breakfast eater. Or a big water drinker. My day started with just a cup of coffee at my desk. I usually didn't eat anything until at least 10:30ish when the grumbles started and then it was quite likely a pastry or doughnut or something equally carby and sweet. A glass or bottle of water was rare, unless it was super hot out and where I live that isn't often. <br />
In hindsight I'd guess the bad habits started in university when late nights out led into late morning sleep-ins that led right into lunch and when I'd rather replace water with wine. Alas, as my running distances crept up over the course of marathon training those habits simply didn't work anymore. <br />
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I discovered that a long run of 10km-32km simply wasn't doable without breakfast and good hydration. I could plug through a shorter distance ok, but after that 10km mark my energy and will to keep on keepin' on dropped without something in my tummy. I also found that I was hungrier earlier and more often during the week. I guess all that running built up muscle and metabolism and my coffee and sugary brekkie's weren't enough. In fact, some of those longer runs even required snacking en route just to keep the energy up. <br />
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I tested out different breakfast menus, times, and amounts of water until I found something I could rely on. With a few different experiments <em>(including one that involved a late Saturday night of drinking followed by a greasy brunch immediately followed by a very long hot summer run: EPIC FAIL!)</em> I settled on a good routine. I found a light carb such as half a big whole grain bagel or a bowl of oatmeal, some peanut butter for protein, and a banana worked best. Anything more wasn't digestible pre-run and anything less was not enough sustenance. I also found a big glass of water and a half a cuppa joe with breakfast was about right. Most of my long run hydration needed to happen the day before and then during and after the run. Otherwise I'm on the look out for a port-a-potty or large bush!<br />
Fast forward 10 years and well into half marathon training, I needed to remind myself about fueling the fire. Since my marathon training days I had become a habitual breakfast eater, but water first thing in the morning was a no-go. A couple of long runs in and I remembered the importance of extra water the day before and at least a glass before hitting the blacktop. I also remembered I need finish eating and drinking about an hour before lacing up so everything has time to settle. A couple of longer runs in and I've rediscovered the balance - a nice warm bowl of oats with some PB and banana mixed in, a half a cup a java, and tall drink of water about one to two hours pre-run and I'm set. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pre-run fuel: oats+PB+banana, a little coffee + water</td></tr>
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I strongly recommend you play with your own pre-run meals to see what works best for you - as I what I do may or may not be it. I also recommend you try that out well in advance of any race day as you certainly don't want any unexpected surprises en route that day. If you're looking to figure it out what works for you, check out <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--13437-2-1-2,00.html" target="_blank">this article</a> and <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--4814-0,00.html" target="_blank">this one</a> from Runner's World online as they certainly have more experience than I do. <br />
<br />Just remember that fueling the fire, however you do it, is key to having a good long run!Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-89415456604517386212012-04-17T07:26:00.000-02:302012-04-17T07:26:11.821-02:30A Flower + Splatter Birthday CardOne of my besties celebrated her birthday last week. I wrote a longer post about her last year and the sentiments are the same. Adding in of course that's she a strong, determined, kick-ass chick who's lost 90 pounds in just over a year. Seriously awesome-sauce given she did that all on her own by changing her approach to eating and working out at home while looking out for five lovely kiddos. I'll also add in mention of how lucky I am my boy is about to become one of those five lovely kiddos and the blessing it is to know he's in great hands. All that to say, she deserved nothing less than a handmade card to celebrate her special day:<br />
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To make this, I started with a blank white background and splattered it with some Mister Huey inks. I then layered on a yellow cardstock punched border strip misted with the same inks, a dotted patterned paper strip and some chevron washi tape. On top of that I layered a large flower with a handcut flower circle from the same dotted patterned paper with a smaller yellow felt flower and finally a brad. Some stamped pennant strips for the greeting and it was a card fit for a queen. Or at the very least one of my best friends. <br />
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Happy Birthday Sandy!Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-26125147527191722822012-04-13T12:05:00.001-02:302012-04-13T12:05:54.418-02:30t-3 ...I woke up today and it was t-3. That's right, t-3 until I'm finished maternity leave. T-3 until I wake up to rejoin the masses in morning rushes, (hot) coffee breaks, and TGIFS. T-3 until I'm officially back to work. This has been my last week home with my boy and I've been soaking it up - hence my lack of presence on the blog this week. Come Monday, our routine changes yet again. Truth be told I'm not as worried about it as I though I would be. <br />
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I went off on maternity leave thinking I may not make the year. The thought of being disconnected from work for a whole year was a bit daunting. And while there have been times when I've actually missed it, I truly enjoyed having a year plus home with my handsome little man. I loved being able to be with him as he grew, changed, and learned. I've been fortunate to witness all his significant firsts. His first roll over. His first smiles and laugh. His first crawls. His first words. His first steps. And most recently - and finally - his first tooth. I know many mamas who missed some of these moments either because they returned to work early or because they happened while they were out or their babe didn't do it before the year was up. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, though I am happy I didn't miss these things while I was sitting behind a desk. Makes that return a little easier knowing I won't be wondering if he's taking that first step today. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not just walking these days, but running.<br />
To get this pic, I placed him by the sofa there in the background and I ran to get <br />
on the other side of the sign. This is where he was by the time I turned around.<br />
The boy can really move!</td></tr>
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I am also extremely blessed to have my best friend taking care of Hudson P. She has three lovely, kind, funny, playful boys of her own and stays at home with them for the time being. She looks after another little guy and, fortunately, had a space open up for Hudson. Knowing that he's there with "Aunt" Sandy and his little buddies makes my mind and heart rest easy. There is no stress about whether or not he's eating right, getting hugs and kisses, having playtime and fun. I know there will be stories and crafts and outdoor messes and Friday happy dances with the music on bust. We've already spent some time there, with an afternoon sans mama this week, without issues. Sure the first week may be a bit of a transition for all of us, but I'm confident beyond any doubt that Hudson will settle in contentedly in no time. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a little help from his friends. <br />
One of Sandy's boys showing HP the ropes while mama was out and about. </td></tr>
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I also like my job (and, let's be honest, my pay cheque). I'm fortunate to have ended up in a career I enjoy and working in an environment that is generally flexible and positive. While I've no doubt the first week or so will be an adjustment for me, I'm looking forward to getting back into thinking and adult conversation and, if we're being honest again, my stilettos. I do miss that part of my life and am happy to be getting that part of me back. <br />
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So, at t-3, I'm doing ok. I've spent a lot of this week getting ready - getting my hair did, stocking the freezer, shopping for a few refreshed wardrobe pieces, cleaning the house, fitting in those last mid-afternoon visits with family and friends, and of course, stacking as many blocks, driving as many tiny cars, and reading as many board books as I could. Come Sunday night, I may feel differently, but today I feel that liking my job, having my house in order, knowing Hudson will be in wonderful hands and having had more than a year to enjoy his amazing little self, makes the return to work a little easier. At t-3, it's not looking too bad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stZMNB4_s4I/T4g4I-nl5WI/AAAAAAAABkI/ue8sdC8vdpA/s1600/IMG_6822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stZMNB4_s4I/T4g4I-nl5WI/AAAAAAAABkI/ue8sdC8vdpA/s400/IMG_6822.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love you Hudson P!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-77628830037198693112012-04-09T08:00:00.000-02:302012-04-09T08:00:00.238-02:30Runday Monday: Three's CompanyI ran the Tely Teaser on Good Friday morning. It was my first time partaking in the annual event where a large group of runners run the <a href="http://nlaa.ca/tely10/" target="_blank">Tely 10</a> route to kick off the Easter Weekend. Sixteen kilometres was on my half marathon training plan for the weekend so the event presented a good opportunity to get the run done before the chocolate fest began. <br />
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Unlike my usual solo-long running, I met up with a couple of girlfriends for the run. One of the girls is training for a marathon so she ran 7km before meeting up with me near the start of the race and the other is training for a half marathon a bit after mine so she joined us at the 6km point. Together we clocked off the 10 miles lickety split. We enjoyed lots of great conversation, shared parenting tips and woes, and kept each other motivated. I have to say, the company made the run fly by. I usually find the latter part of the long runs tiresome, but it was no time and we were rounding the corner into Bannerman Park. <br />
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I actually forgot how much I enjoy running company. My husband and I often ran together before Hudson P came along. We even did trained and ran the Tely 10 together in 2008. Unfortunately, that routine had to shift now that we have Hudson P, with one of us tending to him while the other runs. I'd gotten used to running solo with only my iShuffle for company and have clocked all my half training runs alone since January. Truth be told, I was a little uncertain about the joint run on Friday as I'm no longer used to running side by side. <br />
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I had nothing to worry about though. We shared a similar pace and made decent time. Sharing the run in the sun with friends made the whole run faster and way more fun. I'm hoping to join up with them again over for long runs between now and the half marathon in May. In fact, the thought of having company makes me look forward to running 18 and 19km runs in the next few weeks. Turns out three's company after all. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHuXvKemZlg/T4IIOG2VZGI/AAAAAAAABjw/Q555Rlf4uLE/s1600/threes-company-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHuXvKemZlg/T4IIOG2VZGI/AAAAAAAABjw/Q555Rlf4uLE/s400/threes-company-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image source: <a href="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/">tvlistings.zap2it.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-79371852609155165402012-04-06T08:00:00.000-02:302012-04-06T08:00:00.977-02:30Happy 1st Birthday CardToday I have one last birthday card to share - the one we gave Hudson P at his first 1st birthday party on Sunday. <em>(He enjoyed several more through the week, including one with his playgroup, one with mama&daddy and there's more plans for cake and prezzies on the weekend ... you only turn one once right?)</em><br />
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For Hudson's birthday, I decided to make a card that matched his race car party theme. Like Monday's monster card, I used <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/57491332713268695/" target="_blank">another card</a> from Pinterest as the base inspiration. Sometimes I create my own cards from scratch, like yesterday's butterfly birthdays, but I also love to scraplift others. It's a high form of flattery in the scrapbooking world, providing credit/linkage is given! I was also able to use a bunch of scraps from some of the party decor I made so the card was the same colour and patterns as the rest of this party - black, red, white and grey/silver. <br />
I decided to amp up the layers on this card, compared to the inspiration. I used a couple of layers of distressed edge paper in the background and in the paper strip embellishment. The inspiration card only used one layer for each - I really wanted a little more dimension. I kept the circle and flag embellishments as well, but used a layered circle to showcase the<strong> big number one</strong> and changed the flags from banners to pennants to keep with the race car theme. I added a bigger happy birthday banner and a star to finish it up and called it done:<br />
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<br />I wrote a note on the inside to HP and will put this in our Project Life album for safe-keeping. I'm sure he'll enjoy seeing it in years to come. Especially on his first year in post-secondary school, as our birthday gift to him, noted inside the card, was opening up his RESP with a chunk of change!<br />
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Happy Birthday Little Man - Hope you enjoyed your birthweek festivities.Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-29426237655048027882012-04-05T09:34:00.001-02:302012-04-05T09:34:37.998-02:30Four Butterfly BirthdaysI told you <a href="http://useveryday.blogspot.ca/2012/04/monster-birthday-card.html" target="_blank">on Monday</a> I had a few crafty cards to share this week - and on a lovely sunny day, butterfly birthdays seem fitting to share. Between March 24 & March 30, four lovely ladies in my life celebrated their birthday. I sat down to make all four cards one evening. Once the first one was finished:<br />
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I really liked the way it looked, so I decided to use the same design (a design of my own this time!) for all four. I did change up the papers, colours and sentiment wording on each so that each card was unique - just like the lovely ladies receiving them:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z03cWVTIAu0/T32JFwkUOXI/AAAAAAAABjY/9jauX4yHTAY/s1600/IMG_7011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z03cWVTIAu0/T32JFwkUOXI/AAAAAAAABjY/9jauX4yHTAY/s400/IMG_7011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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To make these, I started by splattering the backgrounds of the cards with <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/shop/mister-huey-s-masks" target="_blank">Mister Huey`s</a> spray inks ... love, love, love those. They mist, they splatter, they splot, they cover. They're awesome...but I digress. Once the ink dried, I layered a punched scalloped circle with three strips of washi tape ... which I also love, love, love. I have a bunch of different patterns of washi tape now and have six or seven more on order from <a href="http://freckledfawn.com/collections/all" target="_blank">Freckled Fawn</a> (via <a href="http://thepaperie.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">the Paperie</a>). But I digress again. After that, a couple of punched butterflies with sparkly gems popped up finished the paperwork. Finally, I added a few word stickers and stamped birthday to make the sentiment. Simple, but sweet. Or sweet, but simple. <br />
<br />Each card is the same design, but made special with choice of colours and wording. I hope the ladies liked them! Happy birthdays Jennifer, Katie, Victoria, and Hunter. <br />
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<br />Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4726185813067900684.post-26639258993613275162012-04-04T08:21:00.002-02:302012-04-04T08:21:53.241-02:30@ 12 monthsToday Hudson Peter turns one year old. It doesn't seem that long since we first brought him home, just a teeny. Yet somehow, we have had a whole year blessed with this little man in our lives. It is awesomeness defined. <br />
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@ 12 months, Hudson...<br />
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...<em> is</em> <em>walking.</em> Sratch that, he's almost <em>running</em>. After taking a few steps here and there, about two weeks ago he just decided he was ready to go. He literally turned on his heel and took off. And he's been going ever since. <br />
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... <em>weighs almost 25 pounds</em>. He's our little turkey. Chubby legs you could long to chew on!<br />
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<em>... still toothless.</em> Yep, at one year he's had two haircuts, but still no teeth. I guess he's going to be like his mama who was over 13 months before she got hers. <br />
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... <em>has a sweet "tooth".</em> Maybe there's no teeth to speak of, but the little guy is like his mama in the sweets department. The odd nibble of a cookie is never resisted. And he did a number on the chocolate birthday cake. <br />
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... <em>has changing tastebuds.</em> He started out eating almost anything we'd give him and the transition to chunky foods was well received. That has all changed over the last month. He now spits out anything that's not fruit or toast or cereal, so we hide a lot of veggies and meat in apple sauce. <br />
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<em>... repeats sounds and some simple words.</em> There's still no mom or mama, that comes out "Bob, Bob", but he does say da da, hot, and hat.<br />
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<em>... loves to read.</em> He'll flip book pages on his own and loves to be read to, especially anything with touch & feel or flip-up pages. <br />
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<em>... is happy to see his daddy.</em> When daddy walks in the door at the end of the workday there are huge gummy grins and an all out sprint to get scooped up. Super sweet. <br />
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<em>... loves his blocks.</em> He could play with those for hours (well minutes, but that's like hours for babies). You can stack 'em tall and he'll knock 'em down over and over again. Fun times. <br />
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<em>... is becoming more independent every day.</em> He's good to play on his own and toddle around as long as you're in sight. He can feed himself when given food on his tray, and holds his sippy cup on his own. <br />
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At just 12 months we can see that this little guy is really growing baby to boy. And yes, it is happening a little faster than we like or expected, but we love it all the same. And we love him. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Happy 12 months Hudson P. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">You are the best part of our everyday. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">xoxo</span></strong></div>
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<br />Colleen Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375641081253527878noreply@blogger.com1